URL Encoder and Decoder
Percent-encode text so it is safe inside a URL, or decode an encoded query string back into readable characters.
How to use the URL Encoder and Decoder
- Paste the text or URL.
- Choose encode or decode.
- Copy the converted string.
About the URL Encoder and Decoder
URLs may only contain a limited set of characters, so spaces, ampersands, question marks and anything non-ASCII must be percent-encoded. Getting this wrong truncates query parameters — an unencoded ampersand inside a value silently splits it into two parameters. Both component encoding, for individual values, and full-URL encoding are supported.
Frequently asked questions
What is percent encoding?
Replacing unsafe characters with a % followed by their hex byte value — a space becomes %20.
When should I encode a URL parameter?
Whenever a value could contain a space, ampersand, question mark, slash or any non-ASCII character.
What is the difference between encoding a component and a full URL?
Component encoding escapes reserved characters like / and ? because they are data; full-URL encoding preserves them because they are structure.
What is the difference between encoding a full URL and a query value?
Encoding a whole URL leaves characters like the slash, colon and question mark alone because they have structural meaning. Encoding a single value escapes them too, which is what you want when that value is being inserted into a query string and must not break the URL apart.
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Runs entirely in your browser — nothing you enter is uploaded. Last reviewed and updated .